Hypnosis brings up ideas of elaborate stage acts where a person is put under then made to cluck like a chicken or other embarrassing things. Long lists of fears and stigmas are associated with hypnosis. However the truth is quiet different and very beneficial. When under hypnosis, you are not asleep. It is more like a meditative state where you are very relaxed. In this state you are more susceptible to suggestibility because there isn’t any filtration to your subconscious mind. After all isn’t meditation all about getting in tune with you higher self? Is that not your subconscious?The lies of hypnotism1) You are asleep and helpless. -This is not true. You are very relaxed and most people do keep their eyes closed. You are totally aware of your surroundings. A phone call, someone calling your name, the smell of smoke or other warning signs will obviously get your attention and make you loose your focus.2) I will do stupid things. -This is only true if you would normally do it. During a highly suggestible state of relaxation, you will not do anything that goes against your own morals. If you are suggested to eat worms, unless you find them delicious you will not eat them. However, if you are all cool about running naked down the street in your normal life you shouldn’t let that one friend we all have suggest this to you3) Anyone can be hypnotized.- Only people who have a desire to be hypnotized can be. If you have nay misgivings it will be harder for you to achieve it. Your mind will not do what you do not want to do.How it works Hypnosis works off of suggestion to your subconscious mind. Your conscious mind is like the guy who makes all the decisions and the subconscious is that one smart friend who hangs back and says “hey maybe that’s a bad idea”. When going straight to the subconscious mind if you suggest that you should stop eating bad food, your conscious mind is less likely to interrupt with a comment about how delicious McDonald’s is. This kind of makes your subconscious desires stronger than the subconscious mind. You could even suggest to yourself that cigarettes are as gross as maggots and you may find afterwards the next time you go to light up you feel sick to your stomach and don’t want it. You can talk yourself into and out of anything you want. But if your subconscious is stronger it makes it considerably easier. Hypnosis can be applies to anxiety, confidence, bad habits, or even making yourself want to exercise.Being Hypnotized You can pay for hypnosis session however they can be expensive. There is also the problem of finding such services in more rural areas. There can also be the problem of finding a reputable person who respects the science with professionalism. Very often fees and travel isn’t in our best interests. So for the rest of us, there is self-hypnosis. The first thing you do is to overcome any fears you have about the process. I feel the fears of hypnosis are equatable with the early views of listening to metal or heavy rock made people kill each other. Ludicrous. You can watch videos of people who know what they are talking about online, and research it for yourself. Knowledge is power after all. The next step is to work on relaxing and getting your Ohm on. For some people they need the sound of rain; for others it is complete silence and dark. Some people like to watch a clock pendulum while others like to stare at that spinning black and white circle. These work by making your eyes tired.0 and unfocused and make it easier to relax when your biggest distraction finder (your eyes) are occupied. The most suggested position is to lay down with your legs propped up with a pillow. Especially when you begin, you may want to set an alarm in case you make yourself fall asleep. Counting backward from ten or more and assuring to yourself that with each number you are becoming more relaxed starting from you toes and moving to your head is common. Don’t become discouraged if this is difficult. If you are not used to meditation it can be hard. With daily practice it becomes easier and easier until you can tell yourself a key word such as “relax” and you automatically become relaxed. This is awesome in backed up traffic with angry people around trust me. When you feel you can relax properly, before you begin your next session you simply make a list of a few or more things you want to improve. Some examples are:

Smoking is harmful to me and i want to be healthy.

Exercise will make me feel better. I should do it more often. I should crave it.

Spiders are not that scary. They eat all the bad bugs in the house.

etc

Allow yourself to repeat these in your head, out loud, or on a pre-recorded soundbite for 10-20 minutes. Then simply rouse yourself or wait for your alarm to go off. As simple as all this seems, there is much scientific and medical proof that this can work.. if you have the mind for it.